The Best Simple Sourdough Bread Recipe

I wish I had this sourdough bread recipe back when I was starting my sourdough baking journey. When I first started making sourdough I tried recipe after recipe and my bread was not turning out the way I wanted. The problem was, I was trying recipes with way too high of hydration. When you are first getting the hang of sourdough it is best to start out with lower hydration recipes! This recipe is a simple lower hydration recipe, it has a hydration level of 70%. Sourdough baking shouldn’t be stressful or complicated! By understanding the basics of sourdough and why each step is necessary it makes the process make sense. In this blog post I am going to go through each step of this recipe to help you understand sourdough basics!

Ingredients and Measurements

100 grams of bubbly active sourdough starter
350 grams of water. Use filtered room temperature water. Sourdough likes warmth so using cold water can slow and weaken the fermentation process!
500 grams of flour. I have been using Anita’s organic all purpose flour in this recipe and it always turns out perfect!
10 grams of fine salt – Any salt will work but Redmond’s is my favourite!

How to make Sourdough Bread:

Mixing The Dough And Autolyse:

In a large bowl start by whisking together your active starter and water. then mix in the flour until it is incorporated well, you may want to use your hands, It will be very sticky but that is normal. Cover it with a towel and allow it to sit for about 20 minutes. Allowing it to rest for a time before adding the salt is a process called autolyse. This process breaks down enzymes and encourages gluten development which is important for strengthening your dough.

After about 20 to 30 minutes sprinkle over your salt then add a very small splash of water to help you mix in the salt. Using your hands, work the salt into the dough. This may take a minute or two. You will also notice the texture of the dough has changed quite significantly. Cover again and allow to rest for 30 minutes

Stretch And Folds:

After allowing the dough to rest for 30 minutes after the autolyse process, then it is time to start a series of stretch and folds. Going around the bowl grab ahold of the dough, and pull it up and then fold it back over on top of itself. Do this until you have gone all the way around the bowl, it should be about 4-6 times. the good thing about sourdough bread is it doesn’t have to be exact. The purpose of the stretch and folds is to again build and strengthen gluten development. Strong gluten is important to help your dough maintain its shape and rise in the oven.

Repeat this process every 20-30 minutes until you have done it at least 3, but 4 times is even better.

After you have completed all of your stretch and folds, cover it with a towel and leave it on the counter to bulk ferment.

Bulk Fermentation:

Bulk fermentation can be the trickiest part of the sourdough process, because unlike yeasted breads their is no set time that you leave your dough to rise. Sourdough takes much longer to rise and is very dependent on it’s circumstances. Temperature is going to play a key role in how long your bulk fermentation will take.

So how do you know when your bread is finished its bulk fermentation? A lot of times it may come down to a bit of trial and error, however their are a few things to look for! I typically let my dough rise for about 8 hours, and my house is usually kept around 21 degrees Celsius. Now in saying that, time is usually the last thing I am looking at. I look for dough that has at least doubled in size and is presenting with some bubbles on the surface. Another thing I look at is if the dough has a good jiggle when I shake the bowl back and forth. If all three of those qualities are present then lastly I do like to use the window test. The window test is when you, using both hands pinch some of the dough on the surface and slowly pull it up and out creating a “window” you want the dough to stretch to a point if being sort of translucent without ripping. Once I am able to create that window affect I know bulk fermentation is complete.

First Shaping:

Shaping the dough helps to build tension, which is important for helping your dough maintain its shape. Shaping your dough twice will help with creating tension. Their are many different ways of shaping sourdough. What I like to do is to lightly flour my counter, then stretch the dough out flat before folding it over onto itself into the center on both the left and the right sides before rolling it up into a ball. I then like to push and pull it against the counter away from myself and then back towards me this will create more tension and help to create a round shape. Once shaped let it sit on the counter for about 20 minutes.

Final Shaping:

After your dough has rested on the counter for 20 minutes you will see that is has started to relax. Repeat the shaping process described in the First shaping above, this time you will notice the dough will not stretch out flat as much as it did the first time. Which is a good thing! After the second shaping then it is time to transfer the dough into a proofing basket for the cold proof. If you don’t have a proofing basket, don’t worry, a bowl lined with a tea towel works just as good! I like to lay a piece of plastic wrap on top of the dough before folding the teal towel over top to keep the dough from drying out. Then I place it the refrigerator overnight. This step isn’t necessary however the longer slower fermentation will help with flavor and digestibility.

Baking Sourdough Bread:

I like to bake my sourdough bread first thing in the morning, I start by preheating my oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit with my Dutch oven inside. I also pull my dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter still in the proofing basket while the oven preheats. Once my oven is preheated I transfer the dough to a piece of parchment by placing the parchment overtop of the dough and flipping the basket upside down. Then I score the dough, if you don’t have a bread lame, don’t worry I use a sharp serrated knife. Then moving quickly I take my Dutch oven out of the oven and place the dough inside. Then I like to either drop two ice cubes under the parchment or pour a splash of cold water under the parchment before quickly placing the lid on top and putting it in the oven, the steam from the ice cubes/water creates the most beautiful crispy bubbly crust. Then I bake it for 25 minutes with the lid on and then 10-15 minutes with the lid off, until it is the desired color I like. When the bread has finished baking remove it from the Dutch oven and place it on a cooling rack, and do not slice into it until it has completely cooled.

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Then it is time to enjoy your sourdough! My favorite way to eat sourdough bread is toasted with butter and raw honey, it is so delicious make sure you give it a try!

Simple Sourdough Bread

This sourdough recipe gives me perfect results every time, its simple and a perfect recipe for anyone starting out or looking for a go to recipe they can use on a regular basis that will yeild them delicious bread every time!

Print Recipe

Course Bread

Ingredients

350 grams Water
100 grams Bubbly active sourdough starter
500 grams Flour
10 grams Fine salt

Instructions

Using a whisk combine the water and sourdough starter
Next using a wooden spoon and possibly your hands incorporate the flour
Allow the dough to sit for 20 to 30 minutes
next sprinkle in the salt and add a splash of water to help incorporate the salt use your hand to incorporate the salt, you will notice the doughs texture has changed quite significantly, it will take a couple minutes of massaging and kneading the dough to ensure the salt has been evenly mixed in. After that cover the dough for 30 minutes
After 30 minutes has passed, it is time to do the first stretch and fold. Start on one side of the bowl and grab one edge of the dough and pull it up and then fold it over on top of itself, go around the bowl doing this, it should take at least 4-6 times. Cover and let it rest again for another 20-30 minutes.
Repeat step 5 every 20-30 minutes until you've done it at least 3 but 4 times is even better
After all of the stretch and folds cover the dough for the bulk fermentation. for me this typically takes 8ish hours but that will vary based on temperature, what you will be looking for is for the dough to at least double in size, and be bubbly on top. Once both of those are present perform the window test. Scroll up to the paragraph i wrote on bulk fermentation to a get a better understanding of this!
Once bulk fermentation is complete, dump out your dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a round boulle, start by stretching it out flat then folding each side in toward the center then rolling it up. Then push and pull it against the surface rotating it until you get a nice round shape. Their are also many other ways of shaping bread however this is what I use because it is simple. Let the dough sit on the counter for about 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes you will see that the dough has started to relax, stretch it out again a reshape it.
After the second shaping transfer it to a proofing basket or a bowl lined with a tea towel. I like to place a a piece of plastic wrap loosely overtop before folding the tea towel overtop. Then place it in the fridge to cold proof over night
The next morning preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit with the dutch oven inside and remove the bread from the fridge. Transfer the dough to parchment paper. Once the oven is preheated score your bread dough and transfer it to the hot Dutch oven. Under the parchment paper place two ice cubes on either side of the bread. Alternatively you can do a splash of water under the parchment. This creates a crispy bubbly crust.
Bake 25 minutes covered and 10-15 minutes uncovered.
Allow it to completely cool before cutting!

Keyword bread, homemade, sourdough, sourdough bread

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